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Houzz Tour: A Gorgeous Victorian Flat Redesigned on a Budget
This two-bed flat is proof that it’s possible to keep costs down and still create a home that’s stylishly individual
Homes don’t have to be huge to function well and look unique, as this two-bed, first-floor flat in Bristol demonstrates. Owner Lizzie O’Neill, who’s an architect, used her skill and design eye to change the flow and feel of the flat while altering very little layout-wise.
Opening up the small, dark, shabby kitchen to the light living area was key to the transformation. Lizzie then cleverly used inexpensive timber, natural materials and second-hand finds to give the whole home a unique look and a peaceful mood.
Opening up the small, dark, shabby kitchen to the light living area was key to the transformation. Lizzie then cleverly used inexpensive timber, natural materials and second-hand finds to give the whole home a unique look and a peaceful mood.
The kitchen can now share the living room’s plentiful light. Lizzie created a utility room and pantry to the right of the kitchen, which contains the washing machine and shelving for store cupboard goods.
“It has a sliding door to shut out the washer noise and keep all the messy stuff away,” she says. “I’ve painted the walls in there in the same grey-green as the guest bedroom and a shelving unit in the living room, so it ties the look together.”
The oak units are from Ikea (no longer available). The tall unit on the right houses the fridge-freezer, and there’s a small dishwasher next to it, plus a single oven and an induction hob towards the left.
The oak shelf was custom-made and has a lip at the front to hide an LED strip. “Quite often, LEDs can be stuck on and they’re quite glarey, whereas this has a diffuser,” Lizzie explains.
As you can see from the previous photo, the step up was already there, due to drainage needs for the bathroom, but it actually helped with the layout. “It creates this really nice divide,” Lizzie says.
“It has a sliding door to shut out the washer noise and keep all the messy stuff away,” she says. “I’ve painted the walls in there in the same grey-green as the guest bedroom and a shelving unit in the living room, so it ties the look together.”
The oak units are from Ikea (no longer available). The tall unit on the right houses the fridge-freezer, and there’s a small dishwasher next to it, plus a single oven and an induction hob towards the left.
The oak shelf was custom-made and has a lip at the front to hide an LED strip. “Quite often, LEDs can be stuck on and they’re quite glarey, whereas this has a diffuser,” Lizzie explains.
As you can see from the previous photo, the step up was already there, due to drainage needs for the bathroom, but it actually helped with the layout. “It creates this really nice divide,” Lizzie says.
As this ‘before’ shot shows, the kitchen needed some love. The shutters aren’t original, but Lizzie has actually reinstated them since the photos were taken.
The detail that really elevates the kitchen is the pine batten cladding on the back of the peninsula, which introduces pleasing vertical lines. “With the pine cladding, I just wanted to do something quite inexpensive and easily available,” Lizzie says, “so these are off-the-shelf, plain, softwood battens secured to a plywood back, then just whitewashed.”
Lizzie kept the boiler (seen on the left in the previous photo) in the same position to save money and simply boxed it in using more cladding.
The peninsula is only a 600mm kitchen unit deep. “Many people think a kitchen island has to be big, but this does all the things you need it to,” Lizzie says.
There’s no breakfast bar. “With the level change, it wouldn’t have quite worked, as you’d need really tall stools,” Lizzie says. It makes a good bar area on social occasions, though, with friends able to stand there with a drink. “And sometimes I stand on that side to work,” she says. “It’s quite a good level to put the laptop on, because it’s much higher, so it’s like a standing desk.”
To keep costs down, Lizzie didn’t change the living room floorboards, but simply sanded the orange varnished pine to lighten it. The kitchen flooring is 600mm x 600mm concrete-effect porcelain tiles.
Worktop, Arenastone. Collect Lighting pendant lights, Ferm Living. All other lights, Astro Lighting.
Lizzie kept the boiler (seen on the left in the previous photo) in the same position to save money and simply boxed it in using more cladding.
The peninsula is only a 600mm kitchen unit deep. “Many people think a kitchen island has to be big, but this does all the things you need it to,” Lizzie says.
There’s no breakfast bar. “With the level change, it wouldn’t have quite worked, as you’d need really tall stools,” Lizzie says. It makes a good bar area on social occasions, though, with friends able to stand there with a drink. “And sometimes I stand on that side to work,” she says. “It’s quite a good level to put the laptop on, because it’s much higher, so it’s like a standing desk.”
To keep costs down, Lizzie didn’t change the living room floorboards, but simply sanded the orange varnished pine to lighten it. The kitchen flooring is 600mm x 600mm concrete-effect porcelain tiles.
Worktop, Arenastone. Collect Lighting pendant lights, Ferm Living. All other lights, Astro Lighting.
The rhythm of the pine cladding is replicated in the verticality of the splashback tiles, Lizzie explains. “I got these because they have that look of being handmade, even though they aren’t, and are more affordable than zellige,” she says. “They have a slightly lilac-y tint to them.”
Splashback tiles, Fired Earth.
Splashback tiles, Fired Earth.
Between the kitchen and living room, Lizzie has slotted in a dining area. The chairs belonged to her grandmother. “They’re in pretty ropey condition, but they go quite nicely,” she says. The oak-veneer table is one of the only pieces of furniture Lizzie purchased new.
The windows have been upgraded to reduce heat loss. “I got a local guy to replace all the windows with slim double glazing – you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference from the original ones,” she says.
Table, Habitat.
The windows have been upgraded to reduce heat loss. “I got a local guy to replace all the windows with slim double glazing – you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference from the original ones,” she says.
Table, Habitat.
The orange tiles in the fireplace are original. “They’re kind of love or hate,” Lizzie laughs, “but I think they work really well. The whole palette is quite earthy and there are lots of plants, artwork and antique furniture, so the tiles go and are quite a striking feature.”
The fabulous ceiling rose is original. The second-hand pine unit on the right of the fireplace hides the TV.
Tempted to revamp your home? Take a look at the Houzz Professionals Directory to find a range of renovation pros in your area, see their projects and read client reviews.
The fabulous ceiling rose is original. The second-hand pine unit on the right of the fireplace hides the TV.
Tempted to revamp your home? Take a look at the Houzz Professionals Directory to find a range of renovation pros in your area, see their projects and read client reviews.
It took a long time to choose the off-white for the living room walls and Lizzie tried out a lot of paints. “The previous colour was lovely, but I wanted to make it all light and bright,” she says.
“This has a slight pinky tone to it, but it’s also stony – not too cool,” she continues. “It makes a lovely backdrop for the different timbers – the oak, which has an orangier tinge, and the pine of the TV cabinet and floorboards.”
Walls painted in Rolling Fog Pale, Little Greene.
“This has a slight pinky tone to it, but it’s also stony – not too cool,” she continues. “It makes a lovely backdrop for the different timbers – the oak, which has an orangier tinge, and the pine of the TV cabinet and floorboards.”
Walls painted in Rolling Fog Pale, Little Greene.
A grey-green shelving unit runs the length of the room and holds everything from books to favourite pieces of pottery. “I had the cabinet custom-made from MDF and painted, so it’s really simple but designed to fit my things,” Lizzie says. “It was a cost-effective way of getting a really big shelving unit.”
The model was made by Lizzie for a former architecture project. “That was back in the days when I had time to make models,” she laughs.
Unit painted in Waxed Khaki, Dulux Heritage.
The model was made by Lizzie for a former architecture project. “That was back in the days when I had time to make models,” she laughs.
Unit painted in Waxed Khaki, Dulux Heritage.
The curtains are simple cotton and Lizzie just bought some oak dowel to create the curtain pole. The sofa is Ikea, but from a marketplace site. “A couple were getting rid of it, as they’d just had twins and it was too low for them to breastfeed, so I got an almost brand-new sofa for next to nothing,” she says. “I just changed the feet to oak to marry up with everything.”
Lizzie put new column radiators in all the rooms, which happily chime with the vertical lines throughout.
Curtains, Ikea.
Lizzie put new column radiators in all the rooms, which happily chime with the vertical lines throughout.
Curtains, Ikea.
Lizzie’s bedroom is painted in a similarly pale, calming shade, but she’s gone for a pinky-purple on the wardrobe. “I just thought I’d go a bit bold with that,” she says.
It was made to measure, as the walls are “a little bit wonky”, but Lizzie couldn’t quite decide what she wanted for the doors, so left them off initially. She’s since put some on (see the next photo).
Walls painted in Skimming Stone, Farrow & Ball.
It was made to measure, as the walls are “a little bit wonky”, but Lizzie couldn’t quite decide what she wanted for the doors, so left them off initially. She’s since put some on (see the next photo).
Walls painted in Skimming Stone, Farrow & Ball.
Lizzie eventually decided on louvred doors for the wardrobe. “They were off-the-shelf pine doors that I cut to fit and whitewashed,” she says.
Wardrobe doors, B&Q.
Wardrobe doors, B&Q.
The fireplace is the original Victorian one with a slate hearth. “I like the slightly rough, worn look,” Lizzie says.
The Ercol oak bed is one of the things Lizzie splashed out on. She’s fitted a slim oak shelf above to display pictures and other treasures. “It’s a nice way of mixing it up,” she says. “I quite often change the things on there.”
Bed, Ercol.
Bed, Ercol.
There’s a small row of hooks to the side of the bed to keep things tidy. “I bought a couple of these in the antiques market – one for the hall and one for in here,” Lizzie says. “I think it’s nice to hang up clothes rather than piling them on a chair.”
The bench was made bespoke, partly to be used in the bedroom and partly for when Lizzie needs extra seating in the dining area.
The bench was made bespoke, partly to be used in the bedroom and partly for when Lizzie needs extra seating in the dining area.
The guest bedroom/home office is painted in the same green as the utility room and the living room shelving unit. “I just wanted it to feel a bit cosier in here,” Lizzie says. “It’s the reverse of the other rooms, which are all light, but have elements of this colour in the furniture.”
The green works beautifully as a backdrop for the various timbers – the pine floor, oak bed and reclaimed side tables.
Wall light, Loaf (no longer available).
The green works beautifully as a backdrop for the various timbers – the pine floor, oak bed and reclaimed side tables.
Wall light, Loaf (no longer available).
The room looks out onto a beautiful leafy view and it’s very quiet, so this is an ideal space in which to work. There’s a desk in the right-hand alcove and shelving to the left for spare bedding and office paraphernalia.
“I can’t leave my bike downstairs because of fire regulations, so that’s hung up,” Lizzie says. The cupboard stores items that aren’t used very much, so access isn’t an issue.
The natural tones and timber continue into the bathroom. The tiles have an interesting glaze with a variation in colour and bring a touch of green into here, too.
Floor and wall tiles, all Mandarin Stone.
Floor and wall tiles, all Mandarin Stone.
There’s a lovely mix of different timbers again in here, with a vintage mirror, olive wood bowls and a sycamore vanity unit.
The top of the unit is protected with Osmo oil. “I’m careful not to get too much water on it, but it’s a year old now and has held up really well,” Lizzie says.
The top of the unit is protected with Osmo oil. “I’m careful not to get too much water on it, but it’s a year old now and has held up really well,” Lizzie says.
The home is perfect for Lizzie. “Even though it’s only a two-bed flat, it has everything it needs and you can tidy everything away quite easily,” she says.
Renovating the flat has given her a real appreciation of her home. “Taking down the wall between the kitchen and dining room was one of the really interesting things,” she says. “Even though it was a very old timber stud wall with lath and plaster on it, inside they’d filled it with rubble, and within the rubble we found interesting artefacts – little drinks bottles, matchboxes and even a cigarette card that dated to around 1900.
“In the process of renovating, you come to be more connected to the building, because you find out interesting things about it,” she says. “It’s been a proper labour of love.”
Tell us…
What do you like best about this renovated Victorian flat? Share your favourite features in the Comments.
Renovating the flat has given her a real appreciation of her home. “Taking down the wall between the kitchen and dining room was one of the really interesting things,” she says. “Even though it was a very old timber stud wall with lath and plaster on it, inside they’d filled it with rubble, and within the rubble we found interesting artefacts – little drinks bottles, matchboxes and even a cigarette card that dated to around 1900.
“In the process of renovating, you come to be more connected to the building, because you find out interesting things about it,” she says. “It’s been a proper labour of love.”
Tell us…
What do you like best about this renovated Victorian flat? Share your favourite features in the Comments.
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Who lives here? Architect Lizzie O’Neill
Location Redland, Bristol
Property A flat on the first floor of a three-storey Victorian terraced house
Size Two bedrooms and one bathroom
Architect Lizzie O’Neill of EJ Studio
Photos by Jolanta Valeniece of Valeniece Studio
The first job was to knock through the wall, seen here, between the living room and kitchen. Rather than taking out the whole wall, Lizzie went for a smaller opening, which happily retained the beautiful cornicing.